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Monday, August 18, 2014

#Disneyland60.....Today In Disneyland History......August, 18, 1958

Carnation Plaza Gardens
Opens

August 18, 1958

It was the longest, continuous running swing dancing venue in
the United States and possibly the world. Louis Armstrong played there. Walt
Disney danced there. It was located in California’s most iconic location,
Disneyland. It was the Carnation Plaza Gardens. While the stage was forever
altered with the addition of Fantasy Faire Village, the memories and history of
Carnation Plaza stage has been captured forever in a remarkable little
documentary that we are delighted to share with you today. - The Stage Walt
Built – A 1313 Documentary

On August 18, 1958 the Carnation Plaza Gardens
opened in the Plaza Hub next to Sleeping
Beauty Castle. An outdoor bandstand and dining locale, the Plaza
became a popular site for "Date Nite at Disneyland," the following
year. The Original Disneyland Bandstand was built in 1955 and was located in
the middle of Town Square but a month before Disneyland opened, Walt Disney
decided to have it moved just to the left of the castle so as not to block parades
and the Main Street transportation cars. Later, a more permanent bandstand was
built, known as Carnation Plaza Gardens. Many of the greats of the musical
world over the years including the likes of Louis Armstrong, Artie Shaw, Benny
Goodman, Harry James, The Osmond Brothers, Lionel Hampton, Tex Benecke, Cab Calloway,
and Stan Kenton graced the stage of the Plaza. It was not uncommon to find Walt
and Lillian Disney dancing the night away and it was Walt’s wish that swing
dancing would always have a place in Disneyland.

Over the decades, it was the
Carnation Plaza Gardens that gave high school bands, choirs, and orchestras a
place to showcase their talents but ultimately it was the Swing Dancing in the
evening on weekends that it was most noted for. On April 30, 2012, Carnation
Plaza Gardens at Disneyland park
held it’s last night of dancing and closed its dance floor in order to be reimagined
into the new Fantasy
Faire which opened on March 12, 2013.A To honor the original Carnation Plaza Gardens, a plaque was placed in
one of the towers commemorating the site's original usage. Following a nearly
14 month long hiatus, the decades old tradition of Saturday evening swing
dancing returned to the former Carnation Plaza Gardens to the newly created
stage area of the
Royal Theatre which features several small stage shows based on Beauty and
the Beast and Tangled during the day as part of the entertainment you can enjoy
at the new Fantasy
Faire.

The
theming of the area has changed significantly to reflect a royal, Fantasyland
style, and courtyard. As a result Disney has changed the name of the dancing
event to the “The
Royal Swing Big Band Ball“. In spite of all of the changes the area has
undergone, one significant aspect of the former space was saved- the original
dance floor.Be sure to check the Disneyland
entertainment schedule and bring your dancing shoes to dance the night away
the next time you visit the Happiest Place on Earth. And that’s what happened
today in Disneyland’s history.